SANTA MONICA-The State Division of Highways has filed condemnation proceedings against property at 3414 Pico Boulevard for the Santa Monica Freeway right of way. Located on the property is the Bundy Theater, which closed on January 8. The state took possession two days later. The structure is under the surveillance of the State Police to discourage vandals from damaging the building. The trial date for the condemnation proceedings has not yet been set.

The Division of Highways will use 3,000 square feet of the 48,000 square foot parcel, owned by Bundy Theater Venture, a partnership composed of Fox West Coast Theaters Corp., George Bourke, David Bourke, Maxie Lee Bourke and Maxie Lee Bourke Fox.

Construction of the freeway segment between Sawtelle Blvd. in West Los Angeles and the west portal of the Olympic Blvd. tunnel under Ocean Ave. in Santa Monica is scheduled to begin in the summer.

A youthful asserted holdup gang led by a 14-year-old boy gunman yesterday was captured by Santa Monica police in a wild 80-mile-an-hour chase that followed a holdup of the Bundy Theater in Santa Monica. According to police, the gang, led by Johnny Alvaro, 14, obtained $39 from E.B. Abrams, manager of the theater, and fled in a car said to have been stolen.

Santa Monica police officers gave chase as their radio told them of the robbery and the carâ€™s description answered that of the machine reported at the theater. Alvaroâ€™s companions were booked by Santa Monica police as Joe Bergin, 17, driver of the car, Henry Ford, 21, and Joe Berrard. Berrard admitted, police said, that he and Alvaro held up the theater manager. The gun used by Alvaro was owned by Ford, police said.

Alvaro admitted firing five shots at the pursuing police automobile before the bandit car overturned on a sharp curve outside the Sepulveda tunnel. One shot narrowly missed one of the officers. One boy was arrested in the car and the other three were rounded up by civilians and police as they were hiding in brush-covered hills. Alvaro gave his address as Ninth and Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

A 1943 photo of the Bundy Theatre)+@field(COLLID+fsa)):displayType=1:m856sd=fsa:m856sf), from the Library of Congress online collection.
Described as “Theater on the highway from Los Angeles, California to Santa Monica where many large aircraft plants attract the midnight movie crowd.”

The marquee reads:
OPEN ALL NIGHT TO 5 AM
“I LIVE ON DANGER"
"WINTER CARINVAL"
COLOR CARTOON